US antitank weapon copes poorly report says

April 11, 1983

By Compiled From Wire Service Dispatches With Analysis From Monitor Correspondents Around The World

Edited By Laurent Belsie

Washington

The Pentagon decided to go ahead with the Copperhead laser-guided antitank weapon - despite an official report showing it has serious problems. According to documents released by a private watchdog group, the Copperhead coped poorly with common battlefield problems of bad weather, smoke, and moving targets in official 1979 tests. The Army had decided to scrap the $1.7 billion weapon after costs soared 100 percent, but Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger reversed the decision and requested funding from Congress for it.

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